Fall Sports Preview 2012

Fall Sports Preview 2012 Austin Daily Herald

Special Features
Athletics and heat
Kris Dutton talks about ways
for athletes and coaches to
approach workouts in extreme heat.
Page 14
•Kris Dutton, A.T.R., A.T.C. is
a certified athletic trainer
with Mayo Clinic Health System Austin.
Five to Watch
AUGUST 2012
Design and graphics by Eric Johnson
Stories by Rocky Hulne
Five area athletes that could
have major impacts for their
respective teams in 2012.
Page 15
The Storylines
••Cover Stor y: The Times
are a Changin’
New Austin head football coach Brett Vesel is
diving in head first, looking to end the Packers’
19-game losing streak.
Football team will stalk with speed.
Superlarks VB leaving their young years
on the court behind.
Page 3
•Austin Packers
Football team will take a defensive tone.
Boys soccer team not hiding its weapons.
Girls soccer team continues the
improvement they saw in 2011.
Volleyball teams makes changes to lineup.
Girls cross country team eyeing state; boys
looking to fill out its roster.
Can Helen Heimark make it No. 5 for state?
Tennis team brings back experience.
Pages 5-11
•Blooming Prairie
Awesome Blossoms
Football
team still going strong.
volleyball team welcomes back
outside hitter Janelle Morem.
Cross country team makes use of summer.
BP
Pages 12-13
•Hayfield Vikings
New
FB coach hopes to spur turnaround.
Youth movement for Hayfield volleyball.
Hayfield cross country schedule.
Pages 14-15
Super foods for
fall sports
•Grand Meadow
Superlarks
Pages 16-17
•Austin Bruins
Get
Jen Haugen offers super food
ideas for athletes competing in
different high school sports.
Page 16
•Jen Haugen, RD, LD, has been a dietitian
for 11 years and is a registered dietitian
for Austin Hy-Vee.
a sneak peak at this year’s Austin Bruins.
Page 18
•Lyle/Pacelli
Football
team firing.
A pair of cross country runners target state.
Volleyball schedule.
Page 19
•LeRoy-Ostrander Cardinals
New faces in coach and the volleyball team.
Football team turning to key seniors.
GMLOS debuts XC program.
Pages 20-21
•Southland Rebels
Football team will have different look.
Volleyball team is rebuilding.
Pages 22-23
Gopher football
and volleyball
schedules
Find out when the Big Ten’s University of
Minnesota Gophers will be at home and on the road
Page 18
Riverland
volleyball and
soccer schedules
Both Riverland volleyball and
soccer will entertain closer to home.
Page 21
JumpStart is a four-times a year
publication of the Austin Daily
Herald previewing upcoming sports
seasons and includes the Yearbook.
www.useminc.com
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EXPERIENCE THE DIFFERENCE
2 | AUSTIN DAILY HERALD
Story by Rocky Hulne • Photos by Eric Johnson
New coach setting program on new course
B
rett Vesel hasn’t coached his first game yet for
the Austin Packer football team, but he’s already made a difference for a program that
has a 19-game losing streak riding into this season.
It began in the summer when he led Austin’s
strength and conditioning program. Many of his
players got the workout of their lives. Then it continued when he began this year’s football practice
schedule with a three-day boot camp that required
every player to be in the correct shape before
preparing for the season.
Now it’s happening in practice as Vesel is pushing his team on a daily basis.
“I like him as a guy and he’s making us work,”
Austin senior linebacker Pat Wagner said of Vesel. “I
don’t always like him as a coach, because he’s
killing us out there. But he knows what he’s doing
and he’s got us working.”
Before coming to Austin, Vesel coached at La
Crescent for the past six years, and he spent five
years as the head coach at Superior High School in
Wisconsin. La Crescent posted four winning sea-
There’s a new life in the Austin Packers locker room as
Vesel tries to turn around a program that is 0-19.
sons under Vesel, who is not fazed by coming to a
bigger school in Austin.
> VESEL continues on 4
He’s been
great and
the
coaching staff
has
been
pushing us
really hard.
He’s changing
the atmosphere
around here.
— Sean Coffey
Austin quarterback
2012 FALL SPORTS PREVIEW | 3
“The kids and
parents are awesome
and the coaching staff I
have is really working hard.
From that standpoint, I love it.”
-Brett Vesel
“The La Crescent
kids were a little quieter than the ones we
have here,” Vesel said.
“There’s also a lot of
support from the
community in Austin.
Not that we didn’t
have support in La
Crescent, there’s just
more people in
Austin, so I hear from
a lot more people.”
Vesel’s early practices had some of his
player’s heads spinning.
The team is focusing on developing
specific skills and one
of those skills, including takeaways.
Junior linebacker
Gabe Gerstner was
surprised on the first
day of practice when
the team began
working on taking the
4 | AUSTIN DAILY HERALD
football away from ball
carriers.
“All of the football
I’ve ever played, we’ve
never had a strip drill.
We have four different
circuits here where all
we work on is taking the
ball away,” Gerstner
said. “[Vesel’s] got 20
plus years under his belt
in coaching at all levels.
He knows how to get us
in shape and he knows
good strategy on both
sides of the ball.”
Vesel is bringing a
spread offense to
Austin, which is similar
to the one the team ran
three years ago under
Tim Hermann. The formation gives the team
the versatility to throw
or find gaps to run
through.
Austin quarterback
Sean Coffey said he’s
Brett Vesel jokes with mem- coming along fine with the new offense and he
bers of the Austin Packers thinks Vesel has had a big impact on the team’s atfootball team during condi- titude.
tioning drills the first week
“He’s been great and the coaching staff has
of practice. The Packers first been pushing us really hard,” Coffey said. “He’s
game is at Red Wing and
changing the atmosphere around here.”
will be the team’s first indiVesel said he’s ready for the season to get under
cator as to where the pro- way and he likes what he’s seen out of Austin so far.
gram sits.
“The kids and parents are awesome and the
coaching staff I have is really working hard,” he
LEFT: Returning to the QB said. “From that standpoint, I love it.”
position, Sean Coffey has
Vesel is a graduate of Duluth Central in Duluth,
seen the change in just a
Minn., and he received his teaching degree from
couple short weeks.
University of Wisconsin-Superior.
A siege
game
•Austin will
set game
tones through
its defense
It’s the first day of contact for the Packer
football team under new head coach Brett
Vesel and the defense is already roaring.
On the first play from scrimmage, Gabe
Gerstner bursts into the backfield to bring
down a ball carrier, next it’s Pat Wagner making a big tackle and a few players later Bret
Lukes is picking off a pass and heading toward the end
CHEDULE
zone.
Home games in bold
By the time
the session is
•Aug. 31: Austin at Red Wing,
7 p.m.
done, one
•Sept. 7: Mankato West at Austin,
thing is clear:
7 p.m.
This year’s
•Sept. 14: Faribault at Austin,
Austin football
7 p.m.
team is plan•Sept. 21 Austin at Mankato East,
ning on set7 p.m.
•Sept. 28 Roch. Mayo at Austin,
ting the tone
7 p.m.
with its de•Oct. 5 Austin at Roch. Century,
fense.
7 p.m.
“I always
•Oct. 12 Owatonna at Austin,
like to work on
7 p.m.
defense and I
•Oct. 17 Austin at Albert Lea,
7 p.m.
really like intensity,” said
Gerstner, a junior linebacker who saw some
varsity time last season. “If you don’t have intensity, you won’t get to the ball. Offense is a
lot more mental and defense is more about
aggression.”
Austin isn’t satisfied with just stopping
other teams’ offenses. After two winless seasons that saw them rarely take the ball away,
the Packers are focused on forcing turnovers.
Gerstner said he’d never worked on a strip
drill in all of his years of football before and
now the team is spending 30 minutes per
practice working on forcing fumbles.
S
Members of the Packer defense wrap up Cory Hepler during the red and white scrimmage
earlier this month. The Packers will rely more on their defense this season to set tones early on.
> PACKER FOOTBALL
continues on 6
2012 FALL SPORTS PREVIEW | 5
Packer Football: ‘We’re going to get some wins’
Vesel told his team that 90 percent of the
time a team scores a defensive touchdown,
they win the game, and that has lit a fire
under the unit.
“That’s an impressive stat,” Wagner, a
senior linebacker, said. “It’s really inspired a
lot of guys and we’re trying to get the ball.
We’re ready to hit some people this year.”
Wagner feels the pain of Austin’s current
19-game losing streak more than most of
his teammates: This will be his third year on
varsity and he’s never tasted the joy of a
win.
The Packers are planning on changing
that this year.
“We don’t want that this year. We’re
gonna get some wins,” he said. “We’ve just
got to have intensity every day and we can’t
have days where we slack. We’re not good
enough or athletic enough to do that.”
Gerstner, who has emerged as a leader
along with Wagner and Tony Baudler, said
there’s a totally different energy on the team
this year.
“Last year I played on this team and they
thought we were gonna win and they went
hard, but it wasn’t half as intense as this,”
he said. “I’ve never lost my voice after a
Ethan Horstmann is tackled by Tommy Olmsted
as the Austin Packers run through a couple plays
before the start of the red and white scrimmage
at Art Hass Stadium earlier this month.
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6 | AUSTIN DAILY HERALD
couple of practices before. It’s a whole new
team this year and coach Vesel has really
turned it around.”
Vesel said he likes what the defense has
brought so far, but he’d like to see it
progress a little more. Early on in practice,
the team was struggling with a few dropped
passes.
“We’ll be a good offensive team eventually. We’re really stressing defense right now
to take a little pressure off the offense,”
Vesel said.
“Defensively it looks good. Offensively, it
doesn’t look like we’ve caught a lot of balls
in our career and we’ve got to get better
than that. We do have a lot of speed and
we’re going to take what the defense gives
us.”
Sean Coffey is likely to return to the starting quarterback position and he’ll be throwing to a lot of familiar faces in Lukes, Marcus
Stoulil and Trevor Feuerhak.
Coffey said he’s picking up the new offense without too much trouble.
“It’s a pretty similar offense with a lot of
shot gun,” Coffey said. “It’s a lot faster and
it’s a lot more detailed. It’s very quick and
it’s fun.”
In your face
Hagen-Erickson, Torres will score,
but they are not the only threats
lot more even playing field this year.”
Just about everyone who plays the Austin boys soccer team this
Franciso Torres played in the Class ‘A’ state tournament for the
year knows who Jake Hagen-Erickson and Francisco Torres are.
The two seniors have each been named All-State honorable men- Packers in 2009 and he’d love to get the feeling back of playing in
that game again.
tion in the past and they an incredible one-two punch on last year’s
“We’re gonna go hard every game and we’re gonna try to make
team, which went 12-4-3 overall before losing the Section 1A title
it to state,” he said.
game to Rochester Lourdes 2-0. Teams will know where Austin’s ofAustin’s only question mark may be
fense is coming from and head coach
on the defensive side of the ball as they
Jens Levisen has no problem with that.
have to replace all of their starters. But
“Cisco and Jake have been strong
Levisen doesn’t feel it’s much of a quesand they’ve proven themselves on the
tion at all as he expects sophomore
state level,” he said. “I think they’re
Riley Grinstead and Franco Ortiz to
coming out to say they should be more
help out.
than honorable mention. Other teams
“Those defenders were all in their
around the state know about them and
first year of varsity last year and they
they’ve been leaders here for the last
were able to step up,” Levisen said.
few years.”
“That’s what I’m saying to the guys
Levisen isn’t overly concerned about
this year is it’s a new defense, but so
teams knowing who his top two scorwas last year’s defense and we made
ers are because they are not the only
things happen. It’s not something
threats to put in some goals. There’s
that worries me.”
Nick Brehmer, who’s a three year
If the defense does have any isstarter in midfield and there’s Abinyan
sues, the Packers have a veteran goal
Lual who had a big goal in the tournakeeper in senior Collin Weisert, who
ment last season.
is entering his second year in net.
Lual won a team dribbling competiWeisert said he’s more comforttion when he beat out Hagen-Erickson
able this season.
at a recent practice.
“I was nervous my first few
There’s also the guys that haven’t
games, but you get used to it. I had
even been heard of yet who could con- Francisco Torres in the Section 1A section title game against
Rochester Lourdes. Austin narrowly missed out on making its
good players to back me up,” he
tribute.
second trip to a state tournament
said.
“We’ve got a new secret weapon
and we’re not gonna say [who that is],”
•Sept. 15 P. Island at Austin, 1 p.m.
CHEDULE
Hagen-Erickson said. “We’ve got a lot
•Sept. 18 Man. West at Austin, 7 p.m.
Home games in bold
of good players on this team and they always keep us working. That
•Sept. 20 Austin at Faribault, 5 p.m.
makes us better.”
•Sept. 22 Sch. Acad. at Austin, 4:30 p.m.
•Aug. 24 Stewart. at Austin, 6 p.m.
The Packers finished second in the Big Nine last season and that
•Sept. 25 Roch. Century at Austin, 7 p.m.
•Aug. 30 Byron at Austin, 7 p.m.
was their best finish in school history. Brehmer has no problem say•Sept. 27 Austin at Winona, 7 p.m.
•Sept. 4 Austin at Albert Lea, 7 p.m.
ing the team wants to do even better this season.
•Sept. 6 Roch. Mayo at Austin, 7 p.m.
•Sept. 29 Austin at Roch. Lourdes, 1 p.m.
“We want to go to state and be Big Nine champs,” he said.
•Sept. 8 Austin at Kasson-Man., 1 p.m.
•Oct. 2 Roch. JM at Austin, 5 p.m.
“Every team in the Big Nine is beatable, but no one is down. It’s a
•Sept. 13 Austin at Man. East, 5 p.m.
•Oct. 4 Owatonna at Austin, 5 p.m.
S
Jake Hagen-Erickson celebrates
with teammates and coaches after
his game-winning goal in the Section 1A semifinals last season
against Pine Island/ZumbrotaMazeppa
2012 FALL SPORTS PREVIEW | 7
A painting
of success
Austin’s,
Nicole Lipari
Last year, Austin senior Nicole Lipari played
on the best girls soccer team of her four-year
varsity career.
This year’s team could be even better.
The Packers are coming off a season where
they went 5-12 overall, but they pushed No. 1
seeded Albert Lea to the brink in a 1-0 loss in
the second round of the playoffs. Last year was
the first season for Austin head coach Enrique
Camarena-Corzo and now the team has a better grasp on his system after a full year of
working with him.
“A lot of girls understand how he coaches
and I think we’ll be more successful this year,”
Lipari said. “Playing together this summer was
a lot of help and I’m excited for the season. We
8 | AUSTIN DAILY HERALD
The Austin Packers
girls’ soccer team
took a big step
forward in 2011.
Now they look to
go even further
in 2012
can go far.”
Camarena-Corzo said the biggest battle last
season was to get the team to believe in itself.
He thinks that won’t be a problem this year as
the squad saw how close it was to knocking
off AL last fall.
“We’re not afraid anymore and we built towards that last year,” Camarena-Corzo said.
“The girls know they can play with anyone.”
The Packers return much of their lineup
from last season, but they will have to replace
goal keeper Abby Gallaher, who was a threeyear starter. Sophomore Chloe Summerfield
will be be asked to take Gallaher’s spot.
> GIRLS SOCCER continues on 9
SCHEDULE/Home games in bold
•Aug. 23 Austin at Fairmont, 5 p.m.
•Aug. 25 Ausin at Worthington, 12:45 p.m.
•Aug. 28 Albert Lea at Austin, 7 p.m.
•Sept. 6 Austin at Rochester Mayo, 7 p.m.
•Sept. 8 Kasson-Mantor. at Austin, 1 p.m.
•Sept. 11 Stewartville at Austin, 7 p.m.
•Sept. 13 Mankato East at Austin, 7 p.m.
•Sept. 15 Mankato Loyola at Austin, 3 p.m.
•Sept. 18 Austin at Mankato West, 5 p.m.
•Sept. 20 Faribault at Austin, 7 p.m.
•Sept. 22 Worthington at Austin, 1 p.m.
•Sept. 25 Austin at Rochester Century, 7 p.m.
•Sept. 27 Winona at Austin, 7 p.m.
•Oct. 2 Austin at Roch. John Marshall, 7 p.m.
•Oct. 4 Austin at Owatonna, 5 p.m.
The
setup
This will be Austin senior Jenna Svoboda’s fourth
year as a varsity starter for the Packer volleyball team,
but she’s never experienced a year like the one she’s
about to have.
Svoboda, who had 213 set assists last season, has
strictly been a setter her first three seasons but she’s
going to be spending a lot more time around the net
this fall. She isn’t completely giving up her setter role,
but Austin head coach Barry Brobeck said Svoboda
will see a lot more time at middle hitter this year as
Steph Justice will get more of the setter chances.
“Jenna has this pent up energy and being in a setter position, she really has to be under control,”
Brobeck said. “We’d like to use her in the front row
as well.”
Svoboda, who was second on the Packers with 17
ace blocks last year, is looking forward to the change
in her role with the team.
“I’m really excited. I love hitting,” Svoboda said.
“But it’ll be weird since I’ve been setting since I was
an eighth grader.”
Svoboda may also see more wins for the Packers
than the team has had in year’s past. Austin went 318 overall last season, but the addition of a few
younger players has Brobeck and his squad feeling
optimistic.
“I do know that we’ll do better than we did last
year,” Brobeck said. “They’re all working hard and
we’ve had quite a few of these girls here all summer.
Jenna Svobada will return for her
fourth year on varsity to lead the
Packers on the court in 2012.
team could also get senior hitter Taylor Lady in the
lineup if she can recover from a knee injury in time.
“[Shayley’s] something else and she’s like a beast
out there. She doesn’t play like a freshman and that’s
pretty exciting,” Brobeck said. “[Alex] could very
well put up some really nice numbers this year, but I
think that by the time she’s a senior, she’ll be unstoppable.”
Svoboda said the team has already come together
strong and the younger players are fitting in fine.
“We’re all close to each other and we’re all friends
outside the court. That helps,” Svoboda said.
“There’s not really anything I can teach them and I
think the younger girls can handle it.”
Besides adding some new players to the mix,
Brobeck is getting some help in the coaching ranks as
well. Former Riverland Community College head
coach Helen Jahr has joined the staff as the JV coach.
“She’s a wealth of knowledge and she’s very helpful,” he said.
Jocelyn Sheehan and Darrion Hunt will look to
step up as veteran leaders for the Packers.
SCHEDULE/Home matches in bold
We’ve been doing volleyball since school got out and
that’s been something that we haven’t done [in the
past].”
Alex Hansen, a sophomore hitter, is one of three
underclassmen who could see time in the starting
lineup for the Packers. She isn’t feeling any intimidation and she’s ready to help make a difference.
“I think we’ll take a lot more wins than we did
last year,” Hansen said. “I’m excited to go out there
with a positive attitude, hit has hard as I can and get
some kills.”
The Packers will look to sophomore Kylah Miller
and freshman Shayley Vesel to step up front. The
•Aug. 23 Farmington at Austin, 7:15 p.m.
•Aug. 30 Austin at Hayfield, 7:15 p.m.
•Sept. 4 Blooming Prairie at Austin, 7:15 p.m.
•Sept. 6 Austin at Rochester Mayo, 7:15 p.m.
•Sept. 8 Austin at Man. West tournament, 8 a.m.
•Sept. 13 Mankato East at Austin, 7:15 p.m.
•Sept. 18 Albert Lea at Austin, 7:15 p.m.
•Sept. 20 Austin at Mankato West, 7:15 p.m.
•Sept. 25 Austin at Roch. John Marshall, 7:15 p.m.
•Sept. 27 Faribault at Austin, 7:15 p.m.
•Sept. 29 Austin at Roch. Century tourn., 8 a.m.
•Oct. 2 Austin at Southland, 7:30 p.m.
•Oct. 4 Austin at Rochester Century, 7:15 p.m.
•Oct. 9 Winona at Austin, 7:15 p.m.
•Oct. 15 Austin at Owatonna, 7:15 p.m.
Girls Soccer: Hard work has been put in, goals set
“I think she’s becoming more confident in herself and she’s
working hard,” Camerena-Corzo said. “We should have a pretty
solid defense [in front of her].”
Austin will look to midfielder Madeline Anderson, striker Hannah
Voogd, and defenders Taryn Sims, Sela Fadness and Tori Grev to
lead the way.
Anderson said the bulk of Austin’s team played together this
summer and that team was successful.
“During summer we did so well and those are the girls that we
have on our varsity team,” said Anderson, a sophomore. “We’re excitied for the season.”
Camerena-Corzo said he hopes the success the team had over
the summer carries over to this season.
“The girls did an amazing job this summer and at this point I
think we’re going to have a pretty strong and solid team,” he said.
“Our goal is always to go to state. That’s the goal you need to have
and that’s what you need to work for, otherwise you won’t have
the hunger.”
2012 FALL SPORTS PREVIEW | 9
Off
and
Running
Girls can make team statement
Austin’s Haley
Splinter will help
the Packers try to
reach the Minnesota
State Cross Country
Meet as a team
10 | AUSTIN DAILY HERALD
It could be a big year for the Austin
girls cross country team.
The Packers bring back the majority
of their team that took fourth in the Big
Nine and section meets last season and
they’re hoping to earn the first team trip
to the state meet in school history.
Senior Haley Splinter went to state as
a freshman and sophomore and
she’d love to go back this fall.
“It would be awesome to go to
state as an individual, but it would
be even better to go as a team. It
would be pretty cool to make history,” she said. “I’m definitely excited and it being my senior year
makes it all that much more exciting
that we have a chance to go to state as
a team.”
The Packer girls ran together three
times per week over the summer and
they’re ready to put that work to use this
fall. Besides Splinter, the team includes
freshman Madison Overby, who won the
Big Nine meet and took 20th at state last
year, McKenzie Besel, Justice Tabor and
Jenna Grabau.
“The girls bring back their top four
runners and expectations are high for
them,” Austin head coach Tony Einertson said. “They’ve put in a good summer of work and hopefully we can stay
injury free and perform well.”
Before the Packer girls start thinking
about how they do in the Big Nine and
section meets, they’ll have a big test earlier in the season as they compete in the
invite-only Roy Griak meet in Minneapolis on Sept. 29 at 4 p.m.
The meet features the best high
SCHEDULE/Home meets in bold
•Aug. 28: Austin Invite, 4:30 p.m.
•Sept. 6: Austin at Hayfield Invite, 4:30 p.m.
•Sept. 13: Austin at Rochester Invit e, 4 p.m.
•Sept. 18: Austin at Hok-Si-La Park Invite, 4:30
p.m.
school runners in the state and there is
also a college meet on the same day.
“We’ll be running with the top dogs
this year,” Splinter said. “It’s the best
girls in the state and only the best of the
best can come. It’ll give us a taste of
what will be coming at sections.”
The Austin boys cross country team is
set at the top this year, but it still needs
to find out who’ll fill out its roster.
Mason Wollersheim and Andrew Baker
will be the team’s top two returnees.
Wollersheim, a senior is looking to finish his cross country career on a strong
note.
“I’m actually hoping for state this
year,” he said. “At least that’s what I’m
shooting for. The past few weeks I’ve
had some intense workouts and I put in
some miles over the summer.”
The Packers will look to Ben Walker,
Quinn Brunner and Caleb Asay to compete for the other spots on the varsity
team.
“Mason and Andrew Baker both had
fantastic track seasons last spring. We’re
looking for big things out of both of
them,” Einertson said. “It’s really gonna
be a shootout for who our next three or
four runners will be. We’re looking for
three guys being right around the seventeen minute barrier and it’s been a while
since we’ve had that.”
Austin will have quite a few middle
schoolers on the team to go along with
the veterans and Wollersheim is ready to
show them the way.
“We’re showing them why it’s a good
sport. It keeps you in shape and it’s fun,”
he said.
•Sept. 25: Austin at Mankato Invite, 4:30 p.m.
•Sept. 29: Austin girls at Roy Griak Invite in
Minneapolis, 4 p.m.
•Oct. 4: Austin at Owatonna Invite, 5:30 p.m.
•Oct. 9: Austin Invite, 4:30 p.m.
•Oct. 16: Austin at Big Nine Meet in Owatonna,
4 p.m.
A last run to the state stage
Austin senior swimmer Helen Heimark is
hoping to make her fifth career trip to the Class
‘A’ state swimming and diving meet this season,
and she’s hoping to bring a lot of her teammates with her.
The Packers have four returning state qualifiers in Heimark, Heather Johnson, Mikayla
Finney and Merideth Fritz. With some added
depth that includes 14 seventh-graders and
seven eighth-graders, the Packers could advance even more swimmers to state this season.
“I think we’re going for all three (relay teams
to state) this year and I think we can put it together,” Heimark said. “That makes it fun because it opens more opportunities for girls to go
to state and then they work harder in practice.
It’s fun when girls want to be better.”
Austin head coach Lynn Gulbrandson said
some of the middle schoolers have the ability to
step up on varsity right away. They just have to
adjust to competing against older swimmers.
“Before they swam against ages 10-12, and
now they’re going against everybody and it’s a
little shock,” Gulbrandson said. “But the older
ones will explain it to them and get them
ready.”
Heimark was one of the team’s biggest leaders last season, and that hasn’t changed this
year. She’s also getting a lot more help from
some of her fellow swimmers this season.
It’ll be a bittersweet year for Heimark, who
has been a varsity swimmer since she was a seventh-grader. She’ll have a chance to get back to
state, but if she does go, it’ll be her last chance.
“It’s kind of sad being my last year and I’m going
to miss it a lot, but I’m looking forward to it, and
we’re going to have a good year,” Heimark said.
The Packers return all four of their varsity
Tennis welcomes
back experience
The Austin girls tennis team brings back 11
players who played in at least one varsity match
last season as it prepares for the upcoming season.
The Packers went just 2-10 overall last year,
but they are hoping an influx of younger players
SCHEDULE/Home meets in bold
•Aug. 24 Lake. South and North at Austin, 5 p.m.
•Sept. 4 Austin at Albert Lea, 6 p.m.
•Sept. 6 Rochester Mayo at Austin, 6 p.m.
•Sept. 11 Mankato East at Austin, 6 p.m.
•Sept. 15 Austin at Lakeville Invite, 1 p.m.
•Sept. 20 Austin at Mankato West, 6 p.m.
•Sept. 27 Austin at Faribault, 6 p.m.
•Sept. 29 Austin Invite, 1 p.m.
•Oct. 2 Rochester Century at Austin, 6 p.m.
•Oct. 4 Austin at Winona, 6 p.m.
•Oct. 9 Northfield at Austin, 6 p.m.
•Oct. 11 Rochester John Marshall at Austin, 6 p.m.
•Oct. 13 Austin at Section True Team meet in Northfield, TBA
•Oct. 16 Owatonna at Austin, 6 p.m.
•Oct. 26 Austin at Big Nine Meet in Man. East, 5 p.m.
•Oct. 27 Austin at Big Nine Meet in Man. East, 1 p.m.
divers from last season in Autumn Laury, Bailey
Corey, Michelle Erdhal and Abby Porter.
and strong overall numbers can improve the
squad.
“I am excited for this season and believe the
tennis program in Austin is growing,” said
Austin head coach Levon Larson, who is in his
second year at the helm. “We have great numbers at both the ninth- and tenth-grade levels,
and from what I have seen thus far, several of
the ninth-grade girls have great potential.”
Austin has a total of 37 players on the team,
and it will look for leadership from captains
Christine Barinka and Karyn Potach.
SCHEDULE/Home matches in bold
•Aug. 30 Austin at Roch. Mayo, 4:30 p.m.
•Sept. 4 Man. East at Austin, 4:30 p.m.
•Sept. 6 Austin at Man. West, 4:30 p.m.
•Sept. 11 Faribault at Austin, 4:30 p.m.
Sept. 13 Austin at Roch. Century, 4:30 p.m.
•Sept. 14 Albert Lea at Austin, 4:30 p.m.
•Sept. 18 Winona at Austin, 4:30 p.m.
Sept. 20 Austin at Rochester JM, 4:30 p.m.
•Sept. 24 New Prague at Austin, 4:30 p.m.
•Sept. 25 Austin at Owatonna, 4:30 p.m.
•Sept. 29 Austin at Big Nine Meet, 9 a.m.
2012 FALL SPORTS PREVIEW | 11
Rock
Solid
Receiver
Michael Thomas
12 seniors graduated from
BP’s 2011 state semifinal
team, but rebuilding
is a term absent from
the team’s vocabulary
BLOOMING PRAIRIE — The Blooming Prairie
football team graduated 14 seniors from last year’s
team that went 11-2 overall and lost in the Class ‘A’
state semifinals, but that doesn’t mean the Awesome Blossoms are rebuilding.
BP brings back the majority of its linemen as seniors
Jason Jirele, Jarrod Grunklee, Blake Arrett, and Jimmy
Mans, junior Dylan Heuer and sophomore Zach Nirk
will all provide the backbone of BP’s offensive front
“We have a ton of faith in them,” BP head coach
Chad Gimbel said of the team’s line. “Last year we
were able to run late in the game and wear teams
down, and we expect that even more so this year.
They’ve been our best guys in the weight room,
and we’re really happy with their commitment.”
The Awesome Blossoms’ line is made up of veterans, but its skill position players will be very
young. BP brings in a new quarterback in sophomore John Rumpza, and the team will feature junior Weston Fiebiger, and sophomores Scott Romeo
and Cole Sunde in the offense and defense.
Sunde will see time at receiver and in the backfield, and Romeo will get some carries out of the
backfield.
“I’ve got big shoes to fill,” Sunde said. “I’m just
stepping it up and looking to contribute to the
team. I’m going as hard as I can and doing what I
have to do.”
Michael Thomas, who had 812 receiving yards
and 9 touchdowns last season, is BP’s main returnee on offense. Thomas also returns at safety,
where he had 80 tackles and five interceptions last
season.
“We want to get back to the dome again; and if
we go, it’s going to be because of our line this year,
not as much as our playmakers on the outside,”
Thomas said. “I won’t be doing as much as Gabe
Kartes or Luke Hueman last year, but I’ll still be contributing.”
Gimbel said BP’s veterans have done a good job
of making the younger players feel right at home
on the team.
“Back when we kind of started getting things
rolling as a program the older kids started treating
12 | AUSTIN DAILY HERALD
the younger kids well and teaching them the
Blooming Prairie football way,” Gimbel said. “They
come in to camp, and they have a strong understanding of what’s going on.”
On defense, the Blossoms will look to Romeo,
Fiebiger, Collin Wobschall, Brett Wacek, and Ryan
Doerhoefer to give them a boost.
We have a
ton of faith
in them. SCHEDULE/Home games in bold
Last
•Aug. 31: New Richland-HEG at Blooming Prairie, 7 p.m.
year we •Sept. 7: B.Prairie at Lester Prairie-Holy Trinity, 7 p.m.
•Sept 14: United South Central at Blooming Prairie, 7 p.m.
were
•Sept. 21: Minn. Valley Lutheran at Blooming Prairie, 7 p.m.
able to
•Sept. 28 Blooming Prairie at Mankato Loyola, 7 p.m.
run late in the
•Oct. 5 Saint Clair at Blooming Prairie, 7 p.m.
game and wear •Oct. 13 Blooming Prairie at Faribault BA, 2 p.m.
•Oct. 17 Blooming Prairie at New Ulm Cathedral, 7 p.m.
teams down,
and we expect
Coach Chad Gimbel is doused
that even more
with water after BP won
the Section 1A
so this year
— Chad Gimbel
BP head coach on the
returning offensive line
title in 2011
BP tops off the tank with talent
BLOOMING PRAIRIE — The
Awesome Blossoms bring back a veteran player who missed the end of
last volleyball season with an injury,
and the rest of its lineup is back as
well.
Janelle Morem, a senior outside
hitter who had 150 kills and 204 digs
in limited time last year, is back from
a knee injury, and she should give BP,
which went 17-13 overall, the leadership it needs.
Senior Jenna Krell, who had 199
kills and 250 digs last season, is also
back in the lineup.
“Janelle’s knee injury has had her
parked on the sidelines for far too
long,” BP head coach Gina
McLaughlin, who is entering her
ninth year at the helm, said. “She returns with a hunger to succeed. Jenna
continues to improve daily. Most importantly she has matured into an aggressive and vocal leader. We are truly
blessed with quality leadership this
year.”
BP will also bring back three
Home matches in bold
SCHEDULE/
The Blossoms celebrate a point during
their match against Austin last year in
Blooming Prairie.
sophomores who started on varsity
last season in setter Madison Worke,
who had 674 assists and 179 digs last
year, middle hitter Taylor Hagen,
who had 238 kills and 135 blocks
last year, and Nicole Inwards, who
had 296 digs and 41 aces last season.
“We have great players both emotionally and physically,” McLaughlin
said. “This year’s team is exciting to
watch. They enjoy playing volleyball.
Expect to see smiles on our court. Although it is early, there is some quality team chemistry in the works.”
•Aug. 28: Medford at B. Prairie, 7:15 p.m.
•Aug. 30: Waterville-Elysian-Morristown at B.Prairie, 7:15 p.m.
•Sept. 4: B.Prairie at Austin, 7:15 p.m.
•Sept. 8: B.P. at Hayfield Invite, 8:30 a.m.
•Sept. 11: B.Prairie at South., 7:30 p.m.
•Sept. 13: Randolph at B.Prairie, 7:15 p.m.
•Sept. 15: B.Prairie at South. Invite, 9 a.m.
•Sept. 18: Blooming Prairie at Waterville-Elysian-Morristown, 7:15 p.m.
•Sept. 20: B.Prairie at Rand., 7:15 p.m.
•Sept. 24: B.Prairie at Alden-Con., 7:15 p.m.
•Sept. 27: B.Prairie at Medford, 7:15 p.m.
•Sept. 29: Blooming Prairie at
LeRoy-Ostrander Invite, 9 a.m.
•Oct. 2: USC at B.Prairie, 7:15 p.m.
•Oct. 4: Blooming Prairie at Faribault
Bethlehem Academy, 7:15 p.m.
•Oct. 9: NRHEG at B.Prairie, 7:15 p.m.
•Oct. 11: Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton at Blooming Prairie, 7:15 p.m.
•Oct. 16 B.Prairie at NRHEG, 7:15 p.m.
Blossom runners use summer to vault ahead
•Blooming Prairie
will have 24 runners
BLOOMING PRAIRIE — The Blooming
Prairie boys and girls cross country teams
have a total of 24 athletes as they prepare
for the upcoming season.
BP head coach John Bruns, who is in his
13th year at the helm, said the team was off
to a good start before the season began.
“This summer we had several athletes
doing a lot of running to get ready for this
season,” he said. “The summer work
should translate to great things once the
season gets into full swing.”
SCHEDULE/Home matches in bold
•Aug. 30: Blooming Prairie at Stewartville, 4 p.m.
•Sept. 6: Blooming Prairie at Hayfield, 4:30 p.m.
•Sept. 14: Blooming Prairie at Mankato Loyola, 4 p.m.
•Sept. 18: Blooming Prairie at New Richland-HEG, 4:30 p.m.
•Sept. 22: Blooming Prairie at Milaca, 10 a.m.
•Sept. 25: Blooming Prairie Invite, 4:30 p.m.
•Oct. 9: Blooming Prairie at United South Central, 4:30 p.m.
•Oct. 16: Blooming Prairie Gopher Conference meet at Martin County West, 4 p.m.
The BP boys team returns six letter winners in Tyler Cozine, Cody Wagaman, Tom
Wanous, Isaac Baker, Evan Doerhoefer and
Elijah Baker.
The BP girls team returns five letter
winners in Kendra Boeckerm Arlyne Soto,
Alanna Grant, Tessa Ivers and Hannah
Vogt.
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2012 FALL SPORTS PREVIEW | 13
New coach hopes to spur turnaround
HAYFIELD — The Hayfield
football team is looking to a
new coach to turn around
a program that has just
one win in its last three
seasons.
Andrew Weiers will take
over the head coaching spot this
season for a team that brings
back 12 players with varsity experience.
Weiers was the offensive coordinator and interim head coach at
Bell Plaine, and he worked with the
varsity and freshmen teams in New
Prague.
“We will be a very aggressive, yet disciplined football team,” Weiers said. “Great ball
security and creating turnovers are key game
predictors that we will work hard at.”
Weiers, who is a New Prague grad
and was a three-year letter winner in football, coached youth
football for eight years before
getting to the high school
level.
The Vikings will receive
leadership from seniors Brady
Kramer, Brady Stevens, Nate
Timmons, and Jason Born, who
set the tempo over the summer.
Weiers added that juniors Connor Nelson, Corey Thompson,
Drew Streightiff, Carter
Pesch, and Merrick
Ducharme, and sophomores
Cam Rutledge, Noah Timmons,
Tanner Johnston, and Auggi
Ducharme have all worked hard over the
summer.
SCHEDULE/Home games in bold
•Aug. 31 Hayfield at Rochester Lourdes, 7 p.m.
•Sept. 7 Lake City at Hayfield, 7 p.m.
•Sept. 14 Goodhue at Hayfield, 7 p.m.
•Sept. 21 Hayfield at Winona Cotter, 7 p.m.
•Sept. 28 Kenyon-Wan. at Hayfield, 6:30 p.m.
•Oct. 5 Hayfield at Zumbrota-Mazeppa, 7 p.m.
•Oct. 12 Pine Island at Hayfield, 7 p.m.
•Oct. 17 Hayfield at Triton, 7 p.m.
“We have a chunk of players who got
some playing time last year,” Weiers said.
“But we are lacking experience on the O
and D lines. We will be turning to some
people that have not played there in the
past, but will be able to rise to challenge.
We are looking to improve each and every
week, and be playing our best ball come
playoffs.”
Athletics
and
heat
Kris Dutton
A.T.R., A.T.C.
Once again fall sports are under way and
most of us continue to hold on to thoughts
of summer with hot days and somewhat
cool nights.
Living in Minnesota allows not only the
heat but of course the wonderful humidity
that usually comes with it. The first couple
of weeks in August means football, soccer,
tennis, volleyball and cross country.
Most of these sports will practice for at
least two weeks, requiring athletes to practice two times a day, usually during the
morning and afternoon. Generally most of
these teams and or athletes have been participating in their respective sports for the
summer and have become accustomed to
the heat and are able to tolerate workouts in
the warmer weather.
However, some athletes may not have
the same opportunities as others and not be
able to train during the warmer times of the
summer. When this happens those athletes
that come to their respective camps and
have not trained during the offseason may
leave themselves susceptible to heat-related
issues during the beginning of camps.
Unlike the southern states that begin
their fall sports with extreme hot temperatures, we in Minnesota do not have as many
of the those days once we turn the corner
Ryan’s Foods
4 East Main Street • Hayfield, MN 55940
Video, Lottery, Food Stamps, WIC
Delivery Wednesday - Call by Noon
Senior Citizen Day every Wednesday: 5% discount
Laundromat - located behind the store
507-477-3804
14 | AUSTIN DAILY HERALD
into August. But there is still the chance of
warmer days, which can increase the possibility of athletes suffering an incident directly relate to the heat.
The following are some suggestions offered to help promote awareness about issues that may arise due to exercising during
warmer weather.
•
Know the air temperature in your
area as well as the relative humidity.
The Minnesota State High School
League website (www.mshsl.org) offers
weather information according to zip code.
All decisions should be made using the heat
index.
Adjust practice times to be held during cooler times of the day (i.e.; early
morning or evening). Avoid practices
during the midday during peak heat.
Sports that require protective equipment to be worn should adjust accordingly. Wear equipment only when
the temperature allows.
Coaches should understand the
temperature guidelines/heat
index. Adjust practices/games accordingly.
Have adequate water available at all
times. NO LIMITS!!!!!
•
•
•
•
•
•
Take frequent breaks during practice.
Allow adequate rest times between sessions.
Coaches’ Guidelines
Follow the Heat Index shown
Watch kids closely
Take lots of breaks
Make sure athletes are hydrated
Athletes who take antihistamines or beta
blockers may be at a greater risk
Trust Kids . . . They know what their
bodies can take.
Don't let peer pressure force kids to
make decisions that may cause harm
*Minnesota State High School League:
www.mshsl.org
A youth movement for Hayfield VB
HAYFIELD — The Hayfield volleyball team
will turn to a new head coach and a lot of
new players as it prepares for the upcoming
season.
Kim Severson, who was an assistant
coach at Winona State last season, is taking
the helm for the Vikings, who return just a
few starters from last year’s team that went
16-12 overall.
“We’re kind of young, and we’ll be missing Abby Blanchard, who graduated,” Severson said. “It’ll be a learning year.”
Hayfield’s top returners include senior
setter Rachel Czaplewski and middle hitter
Dani Wagner, a junior who posted 122 kills,
SCHEDULE/Home matches in bold
•Aug. 30: Austin at Hayfield, 7:15 p.m.
•Sept. 4: Cannon Falls at Hayfield, 7 p.m.
•Sept. 6: Lake City at Hayfield, 7 p.m.
•Sept. 8: Hayfield Invite, 8:30 a.m.
•Sept. 11: Hayfield at Winona Cotter, 7:30 p.m.
•Sept. 13: Hayfield at Kenyon-Wanamingo, 7:15 p.m.
•Sept. 18: Hayfield at Stewartville, 7:15 p.m.
•Sept. 20: La Crescent at Hayfield, 7 p.m.
•Sept. 25: Pine Island at Hayfield, 7:15 p.m.
92 blocks and 40 ace serves last season.
Severson said she’s focusing on defense
and serving as the two keys to success.
•Sept. 27: Hayfield at Kasson-Mantorville, 7:15 p.m.
•Sept. 29: Hayfield at Rochester Invite, 8 a.m.•
•Oct. 2: Hayfield at Rochester Lourdes, 7:15 p.m.
•Oct. 4: Hayfield at Goodhue, 7:15 p.m.
•Oct. 9: Triton at Hayfield, 7:15 p.m.
•Oct. 11: Hayfield at Zumbrota-Mazeppa, 7:15 p.m.
•Oct. 16: Byron at Hayfield, 7:15 p.m.
•Oct. 19: Hayfield at Rochester Invite, 5:15 p.m.
•Oct. 20: Hayfield at Rochester Invite, 11 a.m.
“We need to be able to serve and serve
receive,” she said. “If you can’t pass the ball,
there’s not much you can do.”
Hayfield
Cross
Country
S
/
CHEDULE Home meets in bold
•Aug. 27: Hayfield at Coffee Mill, 4 p.m.
•Aug. 30: Hayfield at Bear Cave Park, 4 p.m.
•Sept. 6: Hayfield Invite, 4:30 p.m.
•Sept. 11: Hayfield at Byron, 4:30 p.m.
•Sept. 18: Hayfield at Hok Si La Park, 4:30 p.m.
Five to Watch
Michael
Goergen,
Southland
Football
Last year Goergen was in a
crowded Rebel
backfield that split
carries, and he still
finished with 1,016
yards of offense and
20 total touchdowns as
a running back. The
speedy senior is also a
force on the defensive
side of the ball as a
hard-hitting linebacker.
The Rebels were one
win from getting to the
state tournament last
year and they should
be poised for another
deep playoff run.
Madison
Overby,
Austin
cross
country
Overby
is just entering
Austin
High
School for
the first time
as a student
this fall as she
begins her
freshman year,
and she already has
two state cross country
meet appearances and
a Big Nine cross country title under her belt.
Overby took 20th at
the Class ‘AA’ state
meet last season.
•Sept. 25: Hayfield at Blooming Priarie, 4:30 p.m.
•Oct. 4: Hayfield at Lewiston-Altura, 4:30 p.m.
•Oct. 9: Hayfield at Piper Hills, 4:30 p.m.
•Oct. 16: Hayfield at HVL meet in Eastwood, 4:30 p.m.
**Survey for story was not returned from coach by presstime
As season’s progress there are stories on each team that can captivate fans. These
five area athletes could have big impacts for their teams as the fall 2012 season
reads off its storylines.
Michael
Thomas,
Blooming
Prairie
Football
Thomas,
a senior,
will finally
know what
it’s like to be
a No. 1 receiver this fall
returning as
BP’s biggest
offensive threat for a
team that lost in the
state semis last season.
The 6-5 speedster had
812 receiving yards
and 9 TDs last season
as the No. 2 receiver
and also racked up 80
tackles and picked off
five passes as a safety.
Madison
Worke,
Blooming
Prairie
Volleyball
If Worke’s
freshman
season (674
assists and
179 digs)
was considered
her
breakout
year,
who’s to tell what she’ll
do now that she has a
full year of varsity experience under her belt?
The sophomore setter
developed a connection
with classmate Taylor
Hagen last season and
will get senior hitter
Janelle Morem, who
was injured in 2011,
back in the lineup.
Jake HagenErickson,
Austin
Soccer
HagenErickson
set an AHS
school
record with
27 goals last
season, and
he finished
with seven
assists on
the year.
However, there’s one
thing that Hagen-Erickson, who is a senior,
didn’t get to do last
year — play in the state
tournament. The Packers lost to Rochester
Lourdes 2-0 last season
in the Section 1A title
game.
2012 FALL SPORTS PREVIEW | 15
Shockwave:
GRAND MEADOW — Grand Meadow junior
Trenton Bleifus has seen time at quarterback for the
past two seasons, and this year he’s going to see a
lot more action.
With 11 seniors and the bulk of last year’s team
that went 8-3 coming back, the Superlarks are hoping Bleifus can lead them to big things this fall.
Bleifus threw for 672 yards with 10 touchdowns
and five interceptions last year, while running for
441 yards and four touchdowns, but GM head
coach Gary Sloan is looking for more out of him.
“We’re going to rely more on Trenton this year,”
Sloan said. “We need to be more balanced, and I’m
looking to throw a little more. Trenton also needs
to run it himself a little more.”
The Larks bring back six of their top seven tacklers on defense from last season, and Sloan said the
unit will make up for its lack of size by moving its
feet.
“We don’t have any burners, but our team
speed is solid,” Sloan, who is entering his 20th year
at the helm, said. “We’ll have one of the quickest
defenses I’ve ever had.”
On offense the Larks will return their top two
rushers in sophomore Landon Jacobson, who had
776 total yards and 11 touchdowns last season and
Grand Meadow will use team
speed to swarm the opposition
senior Perry Stejskal, who had 671 rushing yards
and 10 touchdowns last year.
“They’re both bigger and quicker than
they were last year and they compliment
each other well,” Sloan said.
The Larks will look to Wyatt Richardson,
Andrew Bell and Brock Johnson to clear
paths for the running game, and Bryce Benson and Collin Jacobson will line up at ends.
Sloan expects Spring Grove, Lanesboro and
Houston to be the teams to beat in the SEC,
but he hopes his team is in the mix as well.
“We hope to be right in the thick of it,” Sloan
said. “We’re pretty senior dominated, and a lot of
them have a lot of experience.”
•Quarterback
Trenton
Bleifus
SCHEDULE/Home games in bold
•Aug. 31: Grand Meadow at Lyle-Pacelli, in Austin, 7 p.m.
•Sept. 7: Grand Meadow at LeRoy-Ostrander, 7 p.m.
•Sept. 14: Glenville-Emmons at Grand Meadow, 7 p.m.
•Sept. 21: Mabel-Canton at Grand Meadow, 7 p.m.
•Sept. 28: Grand Meadow at Houston, 7 p.m.
•Oct. 5: Lanesboro at Grand Meadow, 7 p.m.
•Oct. 12: Grand Meadow at Spring Grove, 7 p.m.
•Oct. 17 Lyle-Pacelli at Grand Meadow, 7 p.m.
Super foods for fall sports
Football
A twice-daily practice requires as much as
5,000 calories. Best nutrients for football
players: carbohydrates and protein. Best
pregame lunch for football players: Bean
and rice burrito with vegetable-packed salad
(carrots, bell peppers, mushrooms, celery,
cucumber and garbanzo beans atop greens
at the salad bar).
Soccer
The average distance covered in a soccer
match is 5.6 miles. Carbohydrates are the
best fuel for soccer players because they help
fuel you until the end of the game. In fact, 30
percent of all goals scored are in the last 15
minutes of a game, when players are fatiguing. Choosing the right high-carbohydrate
foods and fluids can make the difference beAll you need
•2 cups frozen strawberries
•½ cup blueberries
•1 medium banana, cut in chunks
•½ kiwi, sliced
•2 cups fresh spinach
•½ cup ice cubes
•1 cup fat-free milk
16 | AUSTIN DAILY HERALD
Jen Haugen
Registered dietitian
tween winning and losing. Top refueling
drink pre-/post-game: non-fat chocolate
milk – high in carbs, protein and electrolytes.
Volleyball
Players need protein to build muscle,
and the right carbohydrates for best performance. Best foods to pack for a match
or tournament: sport drinks, energy bars,
100 percent juice boxes, trail mix, cereal,
string cheese, tubes of yogurt (frozen prior),
and crackers with peanut butter.
Swimming
The most common complaint from a
swimmer is chronic fatigue, and carbohydrates are the key to staying energized.
Swimmers may need to eat up to 500 grams
of carbohydrate per day during the season
FUEL-YOU-UP SMOOTHIE
Serves 4 (1 cup portions)
•½ cup unsweetened apple juice
All you do
1. Combine strawberries, blueberries,
banana, kiwi, spinach, ice cubes, fat-free
for best performance. Best 100 gram
breakfast: 1 carton low-fat yogurt, 1 fresh
peach, ¼ cup granola and 1 piece whole
grain toast.
Tennis
Because of the short bursts of energy required in tennis, it is important to eat about
100 grams carbohydrate 30 minutes before
a match, which can improve the quality of
your stroke. Best pre-match snack: 16
ounce regular Gatorade (28 g), 1 regularsize whole wheat bagel (50 g) and 2 tablespoons strawberry jam (25 g).
Cross-Country
Carbohydrate is the most important fuel
for runners. When you train, eat whole
grains, fruits and vegetables at every meal.
During a road race, grab the cups of water
offered to you and drink at least five swallows before tossing the rest over your
head. Remember that fluids poured on
your body don’t help to hydrate you. Top
pick: brown rice — full of good carbohydrates.
milk and apple juice in blender.
2. Blend until smooth.
3. Serve.
Nutrition facts per serving: 100 calories, 0
g fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 45 mg sodium, 25
g carbohydrate, 4 g fiber, 3 g protein, 100
mg calcium.
•
How do you play a better game or
match? Fuel yourself well with the right balance of carbohydrates, protein and fat. And
don’t forget the fluid; being hydrated can
mean the difference between winning and
losing.
Ahead of
the Game
GRAND MEADOW — The
CHEDULE Home matches in bold
Grand Meadow volleyball team
•Aug. 23: Randolph at Grand Meadow, 7:15 p.m.
has nine players coming back
from last year’s squad that went •Aug. 28: Grand Meadow at Hope Luth., 7:15 p.m.
13-13 overall as it prepares for •Sept. 4: LeRoy-Ostr. at Grand Meadow, 7:15 p.m.
•Sept. 6: Glen.-Emmons at G. Meadow, 7:15 p.m.
the upcoming season.
•Sept. 10: Lewis.-Altura at G. Meadow, 7:15 p.m.
The Superlarks will lean on
three returning All-SEC players •Sept. 11: Grand Meadow at Sch. Academy, 7:15 p.m.
•Sept. 13: Grand Meadow at Spring Grove, 7:15 p.m.
in hitters Cortney Olson and
•Sept. 15: Grand Meadow at WEM, 7:15 p.m.
Ashley Crumb and setter Au•Sept. 18: G. at Lyle-Pacelli in Lyle, 7:15 p.m.
tumn Thorsen, who had 440
•Sept. 25: Grand Meadow at LeRoy-Ostr., 7:15 p.m.
assists last season.
“These three leaders were a •Sept. 27: Grand Meadow at Glen.-Emmons, 7:15 p.m.
•Sept. 29: Grand Meadow at LeRoy-Ostr. Invite, 9 a.m.
big part of our team last year
•Oct. 2: Schaeffer Acad. at Grand Meadow, 7:15 p.m.
and are looking forward to
leading us again this year,” said •Oct. 4: Lanesboro at Grand Meadow, 7:15 p.m.
GM head coach Michael Keefe, •Oct. 9: Lyle-Pacelli at Grand Meadow, 7:15 p.m.
who is in his seventh year at the •Oct. 11: Grand Meadow at Houston, 7:15 p.m.
•Oct. 16: Mabel-Can. at Grand Meadow, 7:15 p.m.
helm.
Keefe said the Larks could
have a chance at competing for an SEC West Division title, and he would like
to see his team put together a strong postseason run.
“Most of our players are returning to us from last year, so I feel we are
starting well ahead of where we were this time last season,” he said. “We are
low on numbers on varsity and a little less height than I would like, but that
will force us to be a scrappier team.”
S
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2012 FALL SPORTS PREVIEW | 17
Not done yet
AJ REID
Forward
Bruins have more in the
tank for third season
The Austin Bruins are coming off a season that saw
them go 40-22-6 and advance to the North American
Hockey League Central Division finals, and they’re
hoping they can come back even stronger this season.
But things are never easy in the NAHL.
“More kids want to play here, but you’ve got to
find the best players and have good chemistry,” Bruins head coach Chris Tok said. “Nothing’s easy when
you’re trying to win the division.”
Austin has 13 players coming back from last season.
Key returnees include Brandon Wahlin, who had 40
points last season, and Army commit AJ Reid, who had
29 points last season.
The Bruins will also bring back Riley Colvard, who
was expected to be one of their top scorers last season
before he suffered a broken neck.
“He’ll come back with a vengeance this year after
doing nothing for nine months,” Tok said.
Austin will look to Nick Lehr, who was 9-8 with a save percentage of 91.8 last year, to take over in the net.
“Nick will get the first opportunity to be
ICHAEL
the number-one goalie,” Tok said. “He batDefenseman
tled last year with (Tyler) Bruggeman and
we expect him to come in here and play at
a high level.”
M
BOND
University of Minnesota
*For roster and schedule: austinbruins.pointstreaksites.com/
Gopher Football
Gopher Volleyball
SCHEDULE
SCHEDULE
•Aug. 30: at UNLV, Las Vegas, Nev.,
•Sept. 8: vs. N. Hamp., TCF Bank Stadium,
10 p.m.
11 a.m.
•Sept. 15: vs. W. Mich., TCF Bank Stadium, 11 a.m.
•Sept. 22: vs. Syracuse, TCF Bank Stadium, 7 p.m.
•Sept. 29: at Iowa, Iowa City, 11 a.m.
•Oct. 13: vs. Nwestern, TCF Bank Stadium, 11 a.m.
•Oct. 20: at Wisconsin, Madison,
TBA
•Oct. 27: vs. Purdue, TCF Bank
Stadium,
TBA
•Nov. 3: vs. Mich.,
TCF Bank Stadium,
TBA
•Nov. 10: at Illinois,
Champaign,
•Nov. 17: at
TBA
Nebraska, Lincoln,
TBA
•Nov. 24: vs. MSU,
TCF Bank Stadium,
TBA
18 | AUSTIN DAILY HERALD
Photos Courtesy of the
University of Minnesota
•Aug. 25: vs. James Mad., in Harrisonburg, Va., 11:30 a.m.
•Aug. 25: vs. App. St., in Harrisonburg, Va., 4 p.m.
•Aug. 31: vs. Long Island, Sports Pavilion, 8 p.m.
•Sept. 1: vs. Miami (OH), Sports Pavilion,
10 a.m.
•Sept. 1: vs. Albany, Sports Pavilion,
8 p.m.
•Sept. 6: at Texas, in Austin, Texas,
6:30 p.m.
•Sept. 7: at Texas, in Austin, Texas,
6:30 p.m.
•Sept. 10: vs. NDSU, Sports Pavilion,
7 p.m.
•Sept. 14: vs. Dayton, in Tulsa, Okla.,
11 a.m.
•Sept. 14: vs. Kansas St., in Tulsa, Okla.
4 p.m.
•Sept. 15: at Tulsa, in Tulsa, Okla.,
2 p.m.
•Sept. 21: at Illinois, in Champaign,
7 p.m.
•Sept. 23: at Northwestern, in Evanston,
1 p.m.
•Sept. 28 vs. Ohio State, Sports Pavilion,
7 p.m.
•Sept. 29: vs. Penn State, Sports Pavilion,
7 p.m.
•Oct. 3: vs. Michigan, Sports Pavilion,
7 p.m.
•Oct. 6: vs. MSU, Sports Pavilion,
6:30 p.m.
•Oct. 12: at Iowa, in Iowa City,
7 p.m.
•Oct. 14: at Nebraska, in Lincoln,
2 p.m.
•Oct. 17: at Wisconsin, Sports Pavilion,
7 p.m.
•Oct. 20: vs. Purdue, Sports Pavilion,
7 p.m.
•Oct. 26: vs. Northwestern, Sports Pavilion, 6:30 p.m.
•Oct. 28: vs. Illinois, Williams Arena,
1 p.m.
•Nov. 2: at Penn State, in Univ. Park, Pa.,
7 p.m.
•Nov. 3: at Ohio St., in Columbus, Ohio,
6 p.m.
•Nov. 9: at Mich. St., in East Lansing, Mich., 6 p.m.
•Nov. 10: at Michigan, in Ann Arbor,
6 p.m.
•Nov. 16: vs. Nebraska, Sports Pavilion,
6 p.m.
•Nov. 17: vs. Iowa, Sports Pavilion,
6 p.m.
•Nov. 21: at Wisconsin, in Madison,
7 p.m.
•Nov. 24: at Indiana, in Bloomington, Ind.,
6 p.m.
Righting
the ship
LYLE — The Lyle-Pacelli football
team has a lot of work ahead of it.
A year after the team went
winless, the Athletics are limited
in numbers again as they look to
make some improvements.
“If we don’t get better, then
we’re right back to square one,”
said LP head coach Reid Olson,
who is in his second year at the
helm. “We felt like we were in
square one all of last year and we
don’t want to go back there
again. Our effort has been good,
and our attitude is getting better.”
The Athletics should have
around 20 players on their roster
when the season kicks off, which
means most starters will have a
heavy workload.
SCHEDULE/Home games in bold
•Aug. 31: Grand Meadow at Lyle-Pacelli at Art Hass Stadium, 7 p.m.
•Sept. 7: Lyle-Pacelli at Glenville-Emmons, 7 p.m.
•Sept. 14: LeRoy-Osrander at Lyle-Pacelli in Lyle, 7 p.m.
•Sept. 21: Lyle-Pacelli at Spring Grove, 7 p.m.
•Sept. 28: Lanesboro at Lyle-Pacelli in Lyle, 7 p.m.
•Oct. 5: Mabel-Canton at Lyle-Pacelli in Lyle, 7 p.m.
•Oct. 12: Lyle-Pacelli at Houston, 7 p.m.
•Oct. 17: Lyle-Pacelli at Grand Meadow, 7 p.m.
LP running back Garett Lester
is one of several seniors on the
team who is trying to push some
of the younger players along.
“We’re trying to help out the
younger guys, a lot of them are
going to play offense, defense and
special teams,” Lester said. “Everyone just needs to work harder in
practice, and it’ll show on the field.”
LP has gotten a boost in practice
from Lester and Sean Shapiro and
the team will likely turn to sophomore Jordan Hart at quarterback.
“We’re not blessed with15 linemen that are big kids,” Olson said. “I
think we need to play out in space
more. We still want to run the ball,
and we want to have an equal balance; but right now we’ll probably
lean to more of a throwing team.”
Olson is hoping his team takes
a solid step this year.
“We’re still trying to change
the culture of the program,” he
said. “We’ve got to get people to
buy into commitment, effort and
playing with technique.”
State qualifier returns to Pacelli cross country
The Pacelli girls cross country team brings back the first Pacelli
girl who ever qualified for the state meet and another runner who
wasn’t far from getting to state as well last year.
Pacelli sophomore Sarah Kahle finished 88th at the state meet
last year, and her teammate Madeline Kraemer, a junior, was just
four spots away in the section meet from going to state herself.
The trip to state will be even tougher this year as last year’s top 17
finishers return and two new teams have been added to the field.
“It will take a good effort, but I look for both Sarah and Madeline
to be in the hunt for another shot at state this year,” Pacelli head
coach Jim Parlin said.
The girls will also look to Katie Ethen, who is in her fourth year on
the team, for leadership.
The boys team will be led by seniors Stephen Juenger and John
Ethen, who is entering his sixth year on the team.
“We’re still short on numbers in both the boys and girls pro-
grams. We will have to rely on inexperienced runners to fill out our
line-up,” Parlin said.
SCHEDULE
•Aug. 30: Pacelli at Stewartville, 4:30 p.m.
•Sept. 6: Pacelli at Hayfield, 4:30 p.m.
•Sept. 11: Pacelli at Dover-Eyota, 4:30 p.m.
•Sept. 20: Pacelli at Pine Island, 4:30 p.m.
•Sept. 25: Pacelli at Kingsland, 4:30 p.m.
•Oct. 4: Pacelli at Lewiston-Altura, 4:30 p.m.
•Oct. 9: Pacelli at Austin, 4:30 p.m.
Lyle-Pacelli VB Schedule
SCHEDULE/Home matches in bold
•Aug. 28: LP at Houston, 7:15 p.m.
•Sept. 4: LP at Glen.-Emmons, 7:15 p.m.
•Sept. 8: LP at Hayfield Invite, 8:30 a.m.
•Sept. 10: Rice, Iowa at LP, Lyle, 7:15 p.m.
•Sept. 11: LeRoy-Ostr. at LP, Lyle,
7:15 p.m.
•Sept. 15: LP at South. Invite, 8 a.m.
•Sept. 18: G.Mead. at LP, Lyle, 7:15 p.m.
•Sept. 20: LP at Sch Acad, 7:15 p.m.
•Sept. 24: Ran. at LP. in Lyle, 7:15 p.m.
•Sept. 25: Glenville-Emmons at Lyle-
Pacelli in Lyle, 7:15 p.m.
•Sept. 27: S.Grove at LP, Pacelli, 7:15 p.m.
•Oct. 2: LP at LeRoy-Ostrander, 7:15 p.m.
•Oct. 4: Mabel-Canton at LP in
Pacelli, 7:15 p.m.
•Oct. 9: LP at G Meadow, 7:15 p.m.
•Oct. 11: S.Acad. at LP, Pacelli, 7:15 p.m.
•Oct. 16: H.Luth. at LP, Pacelli, 7:15 p.m.
*Survey for story was not returned from
coach by presstime
2012 FALL SPORTS PREVIEW | 19
Looking
New head coach
Ahead takes over LO VB
LeRoyOstrander’s
Becca Bunne
in a match
against
Lyle-Pacelli
LEROY — The LeRoy-Ostrander volleyball team is looking to stay
competitive under a new coach this fall as Kelly May, who has
coached at various camps and clinics for players ages 8-18, takes
over.
May began playing volleyball year-round when she was 9 years
old and she played four years of varsity volleyball at Bloomington
Kennedy, going on to play for two years at College of St. Benedict
before suffering a shoulder injury that ended her career.
May is still getting to know her squad, which went 20-11 overall
last year, but she’s seen some leadership out of her six seniors.
“I could see any of them stepping up as a leader at some point
throughout the season,” May said. “Jessica Jennings, Rachel Shaffer
and Amber Hockens have been vocal leaders so far, but others are
leading in different ways as well.”
May said her team is working hard and it has a love for volleyball.
The squad is working on communicating and staying positive.
“I have great athletes that are receptive to coaching and willing
to learn and try new things,” May said. “They have impressed me
with how much they have improved in only a week, and I can't wait
LEROY — The LeRoy-Ostrander football
team will lean on three key seniors who
have played since they were freshman as
they look to improve on last year’s season
that saw them go 2-7 overall.
Seniors Lucas Roe, Tony Steinkamp and
Mitch Scaglione all have plenty of experience for the Cardinals.
“We are looking to compete and be in
games,” said LO head coach Aaron Hungerholt, who enters his fourth year at the helm.
“We will work hard and put ourself in posi20 | AUSTIN DAILY HERALD
SCHEDULE/Home matches in bold
•Aug. 28: LeRoy-Ostrander at Mabel-Canton, 7:15 p.m.
•Sept. 4: LeRoy-Ostrander at Grand Meadow, 7:15 p.m.
•Sept. 6: Schaeffer Academy at LeRoy-Ostrander, 7:15 p.m.
•Sept. 11: LeRoy-Ostrander at Lyle-Pacelli in Lyle, 7:15 p.m.
•Sept. 13: LeRoy-Ostrander at Houston, 7:15 p.m.
•Sept. 20: LeRoy-Ostrander at Glenville-Emmons, 7:15 p.m.
•Sept. 25: Grand Meadow at LeRoy-Ostrander, 7:15 p.m.
•Sept. 27: LeRoy-Ostrander at Schaeffer Academy, 7:15 p.m.
•Sept. 29: LeRoy-Ostrander Invite, 9 a.m.
•Oct. 2: Lyle-Pacelli at LeRoy-Ostrander, 7:15 p.m.
•Oct. 4: Spring Grove at LeRoy-Ostrander, 7:15 p.m.
•Oct. 9: LeRoy-Ostrander at Hope Lutheran, 7:15 p.m.
•Oct. 11: Glenville-Emmons at LeRoy-Ostrander, 7:15 p.m.
•Oct. 16: Lanesboro at LeRoy-Ostrander, 7:15 p.m.
to see how well they can come together and grow as a team this
year as they continue to work hard each day.”
In the game
tion to win some games.”
Roe had 1,576 total yards and 16 touchdowns last season as a running back and he
had 157 tackles with an interception and
five fumble recoveries as a linebacker.
The Cardinals graduated just two players
from last year and they have 10 players returning with varsity experience.
SCHEDULE/Home games in bold
•Aug. 30: LeRoy-Ostr. at Glen.-Emmons, 7 p.m.
•Sept. 7: G. Meadow at LeRoy-Ostrander, 7 p.m.
•Sept. 14: LeRoy-Ostr. at Lyle-Pac. in Lyle, 7 p.m.
•Sept. 21: Houston at LeRoy-Ostrander, 7 p.m.
•Sept. 28: LeRoy-Ostr. at Mabel-Canton, 7 p.m.
•Oct. 5: Spring Grove at LeRoy-Ostrander, 7 p.m.
•Oct. 12: LeRoy-Ostrander at Lanebsoro, 7 p.m.
•Oct. 17: Glen.-Emmons at LeRoy-Ostr., 7 p.m.
GMLOS debuts XC program
The Grand Meadow-LeRoy-OstranderSouthland cross country team is making its
debut this fall, and the team will start with
12 runners on the roster.
Chris Detert, who was an assistant cross
country coach at Blue Earth for five years
and an assistant track and field coach for six
years at Blue Earth, is taking over as the
head coach of the program. Detert also
coached the distance runners on the
GMLOS track and field team this past
spring.
“Our strength as a team is that we are
young, and hopefully those young runners
will stick with it and be really great later on
in their careers,” Detert said. “Our weakness
is that our team is small, and I doubt we’ll
have enough to field a boys or girls team.”
Detert said he’s looking to Andrew Riedemann and McKenzie Kirtz to step up as
leaders. Kirtz, a sophomore, took ninth in
the 1600-meter run the Class ‘A’ state track
and field meet last spring.
“My goals for the team this year are to
have fun and spread the word about the
program, which was just started this fall,”
Detert said. “This is my first season as a
head coach, and I am looking forward to
running my own program and getting kids
excited about running.”
SCHEDULE
•Aug. 30 GMLOS at Stewartville, 4:30 p.m.
•Sept. 6 GMLOS at Hayfield, 4:30 p.m.
•Sept. 11 GMLOS at Dover-Eyota, 4:30 p.m.
•Sept. 20 GMLOS at Pine Island, 4:30 p.m.
•Sept. 25 GMLOS at Kingsland, 4:30 p.m.
•Oct. 4 GMLOS at Lew.-Altura, 4:30 p.m.
•Oct. 9 GMLOS at Austin, 4:30 p.m.
2 0 1 2 R i ve r l a n d B l u e D ev i l s Vo l l ey b a l l a n d S o c c e r
VOL LEYB ALL
Ho me matc hes i n b ol d
•Aug. 24: Waldorf JV at Riverland, 6:30 p.m.
•Aug. 31: Fergus Falls at Riverland, 6:30 p.m.
•Sept. 1: Rochester CTC at Riverland, 1 p.m.
•Sept. 7: Riverland at Rochester Tourn., TBA
•Sept. 8: Riverland at Rochester Tourn., TBA
•Sept. 12: Riverland at Anoka-Ram., 6:30 p.m.
•Sept. 14: Riverland at Minn. West, 6:30 p.m.
•Sept. 15: St. Cloud Tech. at Riverland, 1 p.m.
•Sept. 19: Riverland at Western Tech, 5:30 p.m.
•Sept. 22: Riverland at Ridgewater, 1 p.m.
•Sept. 26: Roch. CTC at Riverland, 6:30 p.m.
•Sept. 29: Riverland at Fergus Falls, 1 p.m.
•Oct. 3: Minnesota West at Riverland, 6:30 p.m.
•Oct. 6: Anoka-Ramsey at Riverland, 1 p.m.
•Oct. 10: Riverland at Rochester CTC, 6:30 p.m.
•Oct. 13: Riverland at St. Cloud Tech., 1 p.m.
•Oct. 16: Riverland home Triangular, 5:30 p.m.
SO CC ER
Ho me matc hes i n bol d
•Aug. 26: Riverland at Bismarck, N.D., 3 p.m.
•Aug. 31: Hibbing at Riverland in Austin, 4 p.m.
•Sept. 1: Hibbing at Riverland in Owatonna, noon
•Sept. 5: Riverland at Bethel JV, 4 p.m.
•Sept. 18: Anoka-Ram. at Riverland in Austin, 2 p.m.
•Sept. 24: Riverland at Century College, 2 p.m.
•Sept. 28: Riverland at Hibbing, 4 p.m.
•Sept. 29: Riverland at Hibbing, noon
•Oct. 3: Riverland at Anoka-Ramsey, 4 p.m.
•Oct. 6: Bismarck, N.D. at Riverland in Austin, 1 p.m.
•Oct. 14: Riverland at Century College, 2 p.m.
•Oct. 20: Riverland at Winona, 1 p.m.
2012 FALL SPORTS PREVIEW | 21
Rebels speed into 2012
ADAMS — As the Rebels prepare
for the 2012 football season, last season is still fresh in their minds.
Southland, which finished 8-3
overall last year, made it to the Section 1A title game, but fell short in a
20-14 loss at Blooming Prairie last
season and the Rebels are hoping
history doesn’t repeat itself.
“It was a tough loss last year and
we were one touchdown away from
state,” said Southland
linebacker/running back Nick
Schmitz, who had 569 rushing yards
and 11 touchdowns last season.
“We’ve had motivation all summer
and hopefully we can win that game
this year.”
The Rebels will have a different
look to them this season as they feature a smaller lineup. But that
doesn’t mean they’ll be easy to stop
when they have the ball.
Southland is loaded with team
speed as running backs Mike Goergen, who had 1,016 total yards and
20 touchdowns last season, and
Schmitz are capable of breaking any
play and quarterback Decker Bendtsen
has increased his athleticism as well.
We’ve had
motivation
all summer and
hopefully
we can
with that
game this year.
— Nick Schmitz
Southland LB/RB
“We’re not a big football team,
but we’ve got very good team speed
and we’ve got a lot of experience
coming back at our skill positions,”
Southland head coach Shawn
Kennedy said. “When you have a
small offensive line it’s all about angle
blocks. We know we can’t go big on
big, but we can hang with anybody
strength-wise and we’re going to use
our speed to get outside.”
Coty Kirtz, a senior defensive back
who picked off two passes last year, is
another speedster who will have a bigger impact on offense this year. He
could line up
in the backfield or he
could line up
at wide receiver
across from Alex
Ruechel.
“We might not
be very big, but
we’ve got a lot of
heart and a lot of
team speed. It’ll
take us pretty far, I
think,” Kirtz said. “I
want to get back
out there and play.
We don’t want
(what happened last
year) to happen again and
that gives us
more drive to
work harder so
when we get to
that stage so we
can advance.”
> REBELS
continues on 23
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Southland’s
Michael
Goergen against
RushfordPeterson
Rebels volleyball team
looking at new faces
ADAMS — The Rebels have some
reloading to do as they look towards
the upcoming volleyball season.
Southland is bringing back just four
letter winners from last year’s team that
finished 14-15 overall.
Southland head coach Angie Smith
is still in the process off figuring out her
players’ roles.
“We’re still looking and I think I’m
getting it narrowed down,” she said.
“There’s still lots of holes that need to
be filled.”
Southland’s biggest need is at setter,
where the team graduated both all of
its setters with any varsity experience.
Smith said she’ll look to Jana Schammel, who had 113 kills and 63 digs last
season, Elizabeth May and Hilary Bottema to step up at that position.
“I might go with three setters at
times,” Smith said.
The Rebels will also look to senior
hitter Haley Kirkpatrick and junior hitter
Morgan Schmitz to give them a boost.
“We have two totally different
groups coming together,” Smith said.
Home matches in bold
SCHEDULE/
•Aug. 27: Southland at Albert Lea, 7:30 p.m.
•Sept. 1: South. at Roch. Century Invite, 8 a.m.
•Sept. 4: Southland at Chatfield, 7:30 p.m.
•Sept. 6: Dover-Eyota at South., 7:30 p.m.
•Sept. 8: South. at Hayfield Invite, 8:30 a.m.
•Sept. 11: B. Prairie at Southland, 7:15 p.m.
•Sept. 13: South. at Fillmore Cent., 7:30 p.m.
•Sept. 15: Southland Invite, 8 a.m.
•Sept. 18: PEM at Southland, 7:30 p.m.
•Sept. 25: St. Charles at Southland, 7:30 p.m.
•Sept. 27: South. at Lewis.-Altura, 7:30 p.m.
•Oct. 1: Glen.-Emmons at South., 7:30 p.m.
•Oct. 2: Austin at Southland, 7:30 p.m.
•Oct. 4: Calednia at Southland, 7:30 p.m.
•Oct. 9: Southland at Wab.-Kellogg, 7:30 p.m.
•Oct. 11: Southland at Kingsland, 7:30 p.m.
•Oct. 16: Rush.-Peter. at South., 7:30 p.m.
“The juniors are a little more quiet than
the seniors. We just need to come together as a team and learn how to play
with new girls.”
Rebels: ‘We’re gonna
give it our best’
One thing working in Southland’s favor this year is
the development of Bendtsen at quarterback. Southland didn’t complete a pass in its loss to BP and the
Rebels are hoping they can put it in the air more effectively this season.
“He really put in a lot of work this summer and
he’s looking great so far,” Schmitz said of Bendtsen.
“Last year we had some trouble throwing the ball a
little, and this year we need to make those completions to get those first downs and move the chains.”
Kennedy said he liked what he saw out of his
team at July camp in Rochester where they scrimmaged Rochester Mayo and played Caledonia 7-on7. Still, he said the Three Rivers Conference season
will be a dogfight as usual.
“It’s always a battle,” Kennedy said. “You’re playing great competition and you don’t want to take
anyone lightly because anyone get beat you. We’re
gonna give it our best. I know that.”
SCHEDULE/Home games in bold
•Aug. 31: Saint Charles at Southland, 7 p.m.
•Sept. 7: Southland at Dover-Eyota, 7 p.m.
•Sept. 14: Plainview-Elgin-Millville at Southland, 7 p.m.
•Sept. 21: Chatfield at Southland, 7 p.m.
•Sept. 28: Southland at Kingsland, 7 p.m.
•Oct. 5: Southland at Rushford-Peterson, 7 p.m.
•Oct. 12: Caledonia at Southland, 7 p.m.
•Oct. 17: Southland at Fillmore Central, 7 p.m.
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(507) 584-0133
130 State Hwy. 16 • Dexter
Located Off I-90 at Dexter, MN Exit
then 1/4 Mile E. on Hwy 16
www.hamiltonauctioncompany.com
FARMERS STATE BANK OF ELKTON
105 Main Street (507) 584-6441
OFFICES IN DEXTER AND ELKTON , MN
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